Bangladesh will need substantial donor support: TIB

Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) today called upon Bangladesh's development partners to ensure "unprecedented levels of support" to the country in its efforts to fight the Covid-19 crisis.

TIB, in a statement issued to the media, said no country in the world was fully prepared nor did it have the capacity to cope with the global coronavirus pandemic. As such Bangladesh is not an exception, it added.

"While the full consequences of the crisis remain [too] unpredictable to be assessed in concrete terms at this stage, it is clear that Bangladesh will certainly require substantial donor support," TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman was quoted as saying in the statement.

In management and recovery from mega crises like this, funding decisions and project implementation processes may often genuinely need to be fast-tracked.

Despite commendable economic performance in gross domestic product (GDP) growth and many other socio-economic indicators as well as the globally acknowledged disaster management experience, the crisis has exposed Bangladesh to its toughest ever challenge -- to sustain the progress achieved in the health sector and beyond, said TIB.

It also added, development partners are valued allies in Bangladesh's "compulsion to prevent and control corruption by promoting transparency and accountability."

"We, therefore, urge them to ensure that anti-corruption principles and practices are specifically ensured in all initiatives or projects at all levels of decisions, designs and implementation," the statement added.

And the Covid-19 crisis calls the attention of all stakeholders to be more vigilant to ensure integrity.